The Painted Plains
The Painted Plains, also known as the Red Waste, is a large semi-arid region in the north of Etra's main continent. Its most distinctive feature is its stratified rock, which gives hills and formations a striped look. Geography The Plains occupy a large space north of Etra's largest mountain range. Its north edge merges with the northern ice plains, and on every other side it is bounded by mountainous terrain. The region is largely prairie, with plateaus, stratified rock formations, and dry riverbeds providing the bulk of its topographical shape. In the wet season temporary rivers and lakes will form, but the most notable persistent body of water is the Song River, which winds north from the mountains across the full breadth of the Plains. The Plains see very little precipitation, primarily in brief spring rains and winter snows. Its temperatures can reach 110 degrees fahrenheit in summer, which combine with the lack of moisture to create a hostile desert-like climate. In winter, high winds and temperatures in excess of -30 degrees fahrenheit are equally hostile. Spring snowmelt and rainstorms often result in flash floods and temporary water sources. Biodiversity The Painted Plains are home to a great deal of hardy drought-resistant grasses and shrubs, as well as cacti and smaller succulents. The grasses are one of the primary food sources, providing forage for the smaller denizens of the prairie as well as the grazing herd animals that dominate the plains. Trees are scarce and generally clustered near sources of water. Some hardier small trees, like juniper, can be found on the rocky heights or the in the shade of buttes. Buffalo, antelope, and curl-horned sheep dominate the plains, grazing in herds and providing a food source for the region's larger predators, mot notably cougars. Coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and ferrets also hunt here, sometimes going after the lanky jackrabbits of the reason, or the prairie-rats whose burrows cover large chunks of grassland. The Song River was named after the frogs that live on its shores and in its tributaries. They sing through spring and summer with a variety of calls, and can be found near any body of water, along with great spotted salamanders. The Plains are rich with avian life, from vultures taking the leavings of mammalian predators to hawks, owls, and falcons feasting on frogs and prairie rats. Burrowing birds and songbirds and magpies can be found in great numbers across the prairie. Politics The Painted Plains are sparsely inhabited, with no central governing body. Small groups of a few allied families lead a nomadic lifestyle, following the grazing of herds. Each individual troupe sets and enforces its own laws, and when they meet to trade or to winter over in groups the exchanges are generally peaceful and mutually beneficial. Small disputes over grazing areas are usually resolved with a meeting of the elders. Sughnak is the Painted Plains' largest settlement by a large margin. It enjoys a beneficial trading relationship with people from every region. No formal law or government presides over the city; issues are decided by community forums which can meet at the request of any citizen. Each of the Academies is led by a Minister, and the Ministers and notable people of the city often cooperate to enforce the peace. Because of this, the city is both called "The Lawless City" and "The City of a Thousand Princes," because each landowner rules on their own estate. Merchants or thieves who attempt criminal activities are often met with fierce retribution from members of the city who wish to preserve its reputation. There is a mint in Sughnak which produces mica-rich mudbrick coins for use within the city. These coins are commonly used for trade, but rarely carry worth outside of the Painted Plains themselves. Industry The markets of Sughnak see most of the region's wealth come and go; merchants are some of the most profitable workers in the region. The Plainspeople are renowned for the by-products of their herds. White antelope leather, buffalo hides, and tools and trinkets made from bone and antler are always available on the plains. Each troupe has its own specialty, but on the whole the white antelope leather is considered one of the finest large-game leathers available in Etra. Buffalo and sheep wool are common use across the plains. Sughnak's primary export is the earth known as mudbrick. The mica-dusted clay of the river is mined, refined to various degrees, and shipped worldwide for use by potters and masons. It is used in the rough, or refined to form a fine silken clay. Fine earthenware can be purchased in the city, but there is also a high demand for the raw mudbrick itself. The second largest industry in Sughnak is education. There are twelve Academies in the city, all of them boasting over a hundred students apiece. The Academies attract people from many different regions, and the students practicing their trades bring in tourists. Because they are ungoverned, the Academies are often shrouded in an air of mystery and scandal, and they do a healthy trade with foreign academics for their many secrets. Teachers and novices are available in plenty, leaving Sughnak with a surprisingly high rate of literacy and education even for the poorest of its residents. Culture The Painted Plains feature two very distinct cultures: that of the wandering troupes, and that of Sughnak. Plainsfolk The natives of the Plains tend to brown skin with dark hair and eyes. Their clothing is usually made from leather and wool, decorated with dyed wool embroidery and bone beads. Body hair is customarily shaven in summer and grown longer in the winter months to protect from the elements. They have a rich oral tradition, including mythology, historical anecdotes, shared works of fiction and traditional songs. Improvisational storytelling/singing is a common pastime among people of every age. Many of these songs or stories are educational, teaching children to recognize plants and animals, navigate dangerous situations, and survive extremes of weather. Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the troupes of the plains place little emphasis on technological developments or material possessions. They live in tandem with the land and its wildlife, and have adapted their practices to the habits of nature. As such, they are very much at the mercy of the herds and the rains, having to settle down over winter to keep themselves warm and constantly moving and adapting to new situations. Many outsiders record them as having a kind of sixth sense about the land and the weather, a skill that has been honed from hundreds of years living in a very unforgiving climate. Every region has its own religious stories and variations, but the majority of the plainsfolk pay homage to some version of the Earth Woman (Parakil) and the Sky Woman (Hagamur), the mercurial goddesses who can bestow death or plenty with a storm or a drought. It is said in many places that the goddesses are lovers, and that Etra is their garden and all its people and animal their herds. In the more hilly southern regions, cougars are often said to be gods, or the messengers of gods; in the west Hagamur is rumored to take the form of an eagle to hunt. When asked by the first wayfarers what the name of this belief was called, the first settlers of Sughnak said, "Sulla sulla," which in their tongue means 'it is what is' or 'that's the way things are,' and the phrase was taken for a name. Some still say 'the sulla gods' or 'the sullasulla people' to refer to the plainsfolk. "Sulla sulla" is still a common phrase, especially in Sughnak, and it's often mistaken for a benediction or religious statement, much to the amusement of the locals. Sughnak The city occupies a unique niche in Etra, pulling from hundreds of cultural ideas and incorporating them all into one mishmash. One of its honorary names, "The City of Colors," comes from the chaotic mix of cultural styles in art and architecture. Similarly it has been called "The City of Tongues" because of how many languages are spoken within city limits. This is something of a misnomer, however, because in Sughnak the Common Tongue is spoken everywhere and fluently. For city children, it is their first and sometimes only language. There are many distinct districts in Sughnak where natives of every part of Etra can find people from their homeland, eating their favorite national cuisine and speaking their native tongue. Even more districts boast a cultural conglomerate -- blended cuisine and religion, architecture that mixes styles from opposite ends of the world, temples to every god or no god at all. This cultural blending has given Sughnak natives a knack for shifting modes and reading situations quickly. It is often said that a powerful citizen of Sughnak can be polite in a hundred languages, and just as often said that the Snakes of Sughnak have a hundred faces, none of them true. Though it's been established long enough to have a sizeable native population, the city itself retains very little continuity. Influential citizens often maintain some control over their own neighborhoods, and the Academies each have their own kind of culture, but the overall climate of the city is a labyrinthine web at the best of times. Strolling a few streets could take one from squalor to incredible shows of wealth, from austere stone to overflowing gardens. Among the notables of the city, there is a kind of political power play comparable to that of a large country, full of subterfuge and betrayal. This very rarely trickles down to the lower classes, who are protected by their anonymity, but for anyone of wealth or substance, especially Academy Ministers, there is always the threat of manipulation. Powerful and experienced mages are often employed in this drama, at times rising to prominence themselves. Sometimes outright violence breaks out, destroying entire neighborhoods, but these scuffles are quickly stifled and relatively rare. If there is one common ideal in Sughnak, it is to preserve the reputation of the city itself -- both its wildness and its luxury, its variety and its unique cultural offerings. There is a fierce loyalty to the Painted Plains, the Song River, and the idea of the city. This is theorized to be the reason that the city enjoys so little turmoil and so much prosperity without any kind of governing body.Category:Geography